shanty

¹ American  

[shan-tee] / ˈʃæn ti /

noun

plural

shanties

1. a crudely built hut, cabin, or house.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or constituting a shanty or shanties.

   a shanty quarter outside the town walls.

2. of a low economic or social class, especially when living in a shanty.

   shanty people.

verb (used without object)

shantied, shantying

1. to inhabit a shanty.

shanty ² American  

[shan-tee] / ˈʃæn ti /

Also chanty, sometimes shantey

noun

plural

shanties

1. a sailors' song, especially one sung in rhythm to work.

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shanty ¹ British  

/ ˈʃæntɪ /

noun

1. a ramshackle hut; crude dwelling

2. a public house, esp an unlicensed one

3. 1. a log bunkhouse at a lumber camp

   2. the camp itself

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shanty ² British  

/ ˈʃæntɪ, ˈʃæntɪ, ˈtʃæn- /

noun

1. a song originally sung by sailors, esp a rhythmic one forming an accompaniment to work

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Other Word Forms

• shantylike adjective

Etymology

Origin of shanty¹

1810–20; probably < Canadian French chantier lumber camp, hut; French: yard, depot, gantry, stand for barrels < Latin cant ( h ) ērius rafter, prop, literally, horse in poor condition, nag < Greek kanthḗlios pack ass

Origin of shanty²

First recorded 1855–60; alteration of French chanter “to sing”; chant

Explanation

A shanty is a small, rough shelter or dwelling. Modern shanties are commonly found in shantytowns, informal neighborhoods made up of crude, homemade shelters. A crude, run-down shack can be called a shanty, and the temporary, portable structures that ice fishermen set up for shelter are also shanties. This sense of shanty derives from the French Canadian chantier, or "lumberjack's headquarters." Shanty can also refer to a song that sailors sing while they work. This meaning comes from chanty, "boisterous sailor song," from the French chanter, "to sing."

Example Sentences

OSHKOSH, Wis.—Peter and Lisa Smith sit inside a fishing shanty on the frozen waters of Lake Winnebago and stare for hours into the murky depths.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 20, 2026

On opening day, Micheal Boushele grilled brats next to his family’s fishing shanty under sunny skies.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 20, 2026

The blaze broke out in the early hours of the morning in Guryong village, often described as one of the South Korean capital's last remaining shanty towns.

From Barron's • Jan. 16, 2026

The Wellermen were the originators of the sea shanty trend on TikTok, with their versions of Misty Mountain, Nancy Mulligan and Hoist the Colours racking up billions of views.

From BBC • Dec. 24, 2025

Several families might all be crowded into a single shanty.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Related Words

• cabin
• cottage
• hut
• lean-to